Ryun stops in county, campaigns for old job

Jim Ryun, a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from the state's 2nd Congressional District, is moving right along with his Kansas Values Tour through 26 counties and 36 cities.

On Tuesday, he stopped in Leavenworth and Lansing to answers questions door to door and to listen to his potential constituents' concerns.

"The big issue I'm hearing is about how families are supposed to make ends meet," he said.

As a solution, Ryun proposes starting with taxes. If elected, he said he would like to lower tax burdens by making the child tax credit permanent and by eliminating the marriage tax penalty.

"I want to make sure parents have more of their hard-earned money," he said. "I want to put more money back in people's pockets."

Ryun was first elected to the 2nd District seat in 1996, and he served five terms until he was defeated by U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda, D-Kan., in November 2006.

During his 10 years in office, Ryun said he worked the hardest on and was most proud of lobbying to keep all military bases in Kansas, including Fort Leavenworth, from closing during the Pentagon's base reduction and closing hearings.

"We made sure Fort Leavenworth was secure," he said. "We wanted families to feel like they were being cared for while troops were away."

In regard to the troops, Ryun said he couldn't predict the outcome of the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan. He said he looked to the generals on the ground to make decisions when it comes time to pull troops out.

"They're the ones in the conflict and they should make the decision," he said, adding that he thinks their decisions up to this point have been successful.

Another issue that Ryun said he's heard a lot about as he travels around campaigning is illegal immigration. He said he supported securing the United States' borders and making sure there is a permanent fence in place.

He admits that his goals of tax relief and the cessation of illegal immigration are going to be tough, but he said he's recognized that those are the issues that have the people of the 2nd District most concerned.